


Bittersweet Succor

by thblackflame



Category: Wyndrah Series (modern); Mirage/Soul of Glass
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-08
Updated: 2013-06-08
Packaged: 2017-12-14 07:31:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/834298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thblackflame/pseuds/thblackflame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Idrisar met Zevian.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bittersweet Succor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Xenobia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xenobia/gifts).



> ~*:IIDisclaimerII:*~
> 
> Idrisar and Zevian belong to Xenobia and are part of her Wyndrah series. I make no money from writing this fic. You can read the Wyndrah series at ninthwave.webs.com
> 
> Note: Some language

Idrisar wasn't entirely certain what he expected when he knocked on Zevian Saber's door. The file they had on the man was alarmingly thin for what little it did say about the man. Even the rumors gave little enough information. The Ulvari had managed to form some image of the man but if it was accurate remained to be seen. Saber was supposed to be a charmer and what the rumors said were less than charitable.

With a sigh, Idrisar mentally reviewed what he could remember from the file as he raised a hand to rap on the door. He tried to remember to stay objective despite what he had heard. Even so it was quite a shock to him when Saber answered. Idrisar very nearly sucked in a sharp breath of distress. For a fraction of a moment, he almost thought he had been looking into a mirror. The features were nothing like his, but it hadn't been all that long ago that he had worn that same expression on his face.

"What?" 

Idrisar took in the haggard lines and the circles under the Sire's eyes on a glance. God, that expression was so familiar. There was a bitter cast to his mouth and it was quickly growing into a hard line the longer it took for Idrisar to answer.

"Tell me what you want or get the fuck out of my face." Saber leaned heavily against the doorjamb running his fingers through his hair and grimaced when it came to a tangle. He gave a weighted sigh as he just left his hand there rather than working the knots.

Idrisar opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by the wail of a toddler in the background somewhere. The Sire sucked in a sharp breath as he closed his eyes. His head hung a little and his shoulders drooped. In a distant part of his mind, the Ulvari agent could remember the weight that had settled on those shoulders and his heart went out to the Sire. 

When Saber opened his eyes again Idrisar spoke before he could slam the door in his face. "I'm deeply sorry for your loss, Mr. Saber."

The Sire paused for a moment, surprise evident in his eyes. He stood up a little straighter and extracted his hand from his hair. The child's wail became sobbing in the background and Saber let out a breath. "Please come in, Agent," the Sire murmured as he stepped back and opened the door wider to allow Idrisar through.

The crying was cut off abruptly as Idrisar moved farther into the house and subsided to tiny little sniffs. Idrisar turned his head in the direction the sounds were coming from and was greeted by a tiny little face peeking around the corner. The child's eyes were shining from tears, the violet of his irises vibrant and contrasting to his pale, tear streaked cheeks. His blond hair fall over his forehead in an unruly tumble as he watched Idrisar through the fair strands. The Lifebarer smiled softly at the child, titling his head slightly in greeting.

The child pulled back around the corner, only peeking a little of his face out now. "Orin, quit being a little creeper and come out here."

Idrisar was vaguely aware of his eyebrow twitching at the way that Saber spoke to his offspring, but said nothing about it. He glanced at the child again, finding that only the very tip of his nose was showing now. Idrisar pursed his lips to keep from laughing. The child was utterly adorable. Saber let out a long breath. "Orin."

The Ulvari agent smiled and turned back to the Sire, holding a hand up. "It's fine, Mr. Saber. He can come out in his own time." He pulled his satchel around in front of him so he could dig through it for the file while he sat on the sofa where Saber indicated. "I'm here to talk to you after all."

"Do you want something to drink?"

Idrisar shook his head, completely thrown by the question. "What? Oh, no." He shook his head absently, trying to read the file.

"You're sure? I can fix you anything?"

Idrisar looked up at him, blinked a few times before he could pull his mind back from what he wanted to talk about with the Sire. "What?"

"Drink? That thing you do when you are thirsty?" Saber didn't wait for an answer this time; rather he headed for the liquor cabinet. “I need a drink and I thought I’d offer to make one for you as well.”

Idrisar couldn’t help by stare at the Sire’s back. “It’s not even noon, yet, Saber. I hardly think this is the time to be drinking.”

Saber glanced over his shoulder, his brow raised sardonically. “Forgive me if I feel the need so soon in the day.”

The agent pursed his lips and looked down at the file again in his lap. “I’m sorry.” He flipped a page in the file to cover his fluster. “I will decline at this time.”

“Fair enough.” Clinking and liquid sloshing punctuated the fact that Saber was getting himself a drink still and before too long the man moved back to the sofa and plopped down next to Idrisar. “So what is it you walked to talk to me about, Id?”

Idrisar felt his eyebrow twitch again and he turned a glare on the mafia lord. “I think it would be best if we avoided such familiarity, Mr. Saber. Please call me Agent Blackbird.”

Saber held up both hands, the ice in the glass clinking as he moved them in a warding gesture. “Got it. Blackbird it is.” He dropped his hands again and took a swig from the glass. “So what have you come to talk to me about, Agent Blackbird?”

Idrisar took a deep breath. “About the incident that resulted in your mate’s death.”

All animation left Saber’s face and the only motion in it was when he took the last of his drink in a single gulp and swallowed. “Well. What about it?”

He said it in such a way that it sounded like he was willing to cooperate on the surface but something about his tone and the hard look he gave the Ulvari belied the words. “I came here to investigate what happened.”

Saber raised a brow. “I would think that would be fairly obvious, Agent Blackbird.” Idridar didn’t particularly like the way the Sire said his name. “There was a gunfight and my Mate was murdered. What else do you need to know?”

Idrisar checked a sigh. He should have known it wasn’t going to be that easy. “I understand that this isn’t really something that you want to discuss at the moment, but the Ulvari are investigating what led up to the incident. All the information we gathered only tells us that your mate was caught in the crossfire of two--”

“He wasn’t caught in some damn crossfire, Agent Blackbird. He was murdered.” Saber gave the Lifebarer a hard look. “You think it was just some accident that the gunfight just happened to start in the market when Urah--” The Sire stopped and clenched his jaw before he continued. “When my mate was there?” He shook his head and stood, moving again to the liquor cabinet. “No, Agent Blackbird. It was not some accident.”

Idrisar pursed his lips while he watched Zevian pour himself another drink. “Do you have proof?” he asked quietly.

Saber didn’t answer right away. He set the carafe down and swirled his glass a few moments before he turned and leaned back against the counter. “Nothing that would hold up.” He took a long swallow of his drink. “Just the fact that it was too convenient and some rumors I was hearing up to that point.”

“What kind of rumors?”

Again the Sire was quite. His eyes were dark as he watched Idrisar, as if weighing what it was exactly that the Ulvari agent wanted. “Are you really interested or are you just doing this for some report?”

Idrisar started to answer, thinking to assuage the Sire, but the look on the other man’s face stopped him. “Both?” He gave a little shrug. “I came here for a reason, but even I have to admit that things aren’t adding up.”

It was clear that Saber was uncertain of Idrisar. He had let him in and had even spoken with him, but there was still distrust in his eyes. “What’s in it for you, Idrisar?”

The used of his given name was not lost on the Lifebarer and he took it at face value. If Zevian was going to show his hand, Idrisar was going to have to him a damn good reason to do so. “I know what loss feels like. I don’t wish it on anyone. What I can’t imagine it what it would be like to have my mate murdered. I’m here to do a job. I won’t make any pretenses about that. But that doesn’t mean that I’m so cold that I don’t want to find out the truth over just laying a report down on my director’s desk and being done with it.”

He didn’t know what it was that the Sire was looking for in an answer, but he hoped that the truth would be enough. He wasn’t here to ‘help,’ necessarily, but he just couldn’t let the idea go. What he went through was bad enough. Not knowing why was something he wasn’t sure he would have been able to survive. Oh he would have continued on, but doing more than existing....

 

After a moment, Zevian finally nodded. “Alright, Agent Blackbird. I’ll tell you what I know, and perhaps something will come of it.”

As Saber talked, Idrisar took notes of the pertinent information for his report later. The few times that the Sire had to stop and compose himself, Idrisar was silent, letting him sort through his feelings. The agent neither moved away nor offered comfort during those moments, merely sat next to Zevian and waited, allowing him the moment he needed in as much solitude as he could afford him and more, acceptance.

After a time, there wasn’t anything else that Zevian could say about his suspicions of the incident but he couldn’t seem to stop talking. He continued talking even the two times he stood again to refill his drink and Idrisar even accepted a snifter the second time. Idrisar never offered any platitudes, only listened. That seemed to be all that Zevian wanted. Perhaps no one had just stopped to listen to him.

Orin toddled out just around sunset, his little tummy rumbling loud enough for the adults to hear from across the room and Idrisar opted to fix a simple supper of chicken noodle soup and with the little one snuggled up against his Sire’s other side the conversation turned to happy, silly stories of Zevian’s mate. They were obviously intended for Orindel’s benefit but there was a shift in Zevian’s demeanor as the stories continued well past the time that the dishes were set on the coffee table and the child snored softly against the Sire’s side.

The stories continued into the early hours of the morning before Zevian seemed to run out of things to say and the pair fell into a comfortable silence. Before long though, Idrisar caught himself yawning and he felt himself flush slightly as he tried to cover it. He glanced to see Zevian smiling slightly before he pulled the toddler into his arms. 

“Let me put put Orin to bed and I’ll walk you out, Agent Blackbird.”

He was gone before Idrisar could respond. He had been a little startled by the smile. It was the first one he had seen from the Sire that wasn’t full of bitterness. It had been genuine, even if still Zevian was out of the room the Ulvari managed to gather his wits and began packing his things away so that he was ready and standing when Zevian was back.

The two of them walked to the door but Zevian stopped with his hand on the doorknob. “Thank you, Idrisar,” he said softly without turning. “Just....thank you.”

“I didn’t really do anything.”

Zevian turned his head just a little, his lips parted to speak but then that small smile was back and he just shook his head before he opened the door. He held it opened for the Ulvari , brushing the flyaway strands that caught the warm breeze that gently whispered by his face. “Goodnight, Agent Blackbird. If there is anything else I can help you with in your investigation, please let me know.”

Idrisar smiled as he passed Zevian and stepped outside. “I think I have enough, thank you. I don’t think the Ulvari will have to disturb you again. Goodnight, Mr. Saber. And...good luck.”

Zevian returned the smile. “Thank you.” 

Idrisar took a deep breath as the door closed and walked down the drive. He didn’t know if he would ever meet Zevian Saber again, but he knew that he would see that smile if he did.

**Author's Note:**

> -For Xen-


End file.
